As disappointing as the finish to the indoor track season was for Hendricken shot putter Alex Cerbo, the outdoor season provided sweet redemption.

Ranked No. 1 in the state heading to the state meet during indoor, Cerbo stumbled a bit and finished in second place. With that as his primary motivation, he re-focused, trained harder and found himself atop the podium after his best day of the season at outdoor states.

Even though it came a few months later than he expected, Cerbo was a state champion.

“I decided to buckle down and bring back my motivation and determination to come back and bring back the title for Hendricken,” Cerbo said.

He certainly did, blowing away the competition by over six feet with a season-long throw of 54-feet, 5.25-inches. At indoor, he had thrown 53-feet, 4.5-inches.

It was the culmination of a long process between seasons in which Cerbo worked with trainer Matt Ellis at Primal Athlete Training Center on his speed and agility at the beginning of his throw.

Clearly, it paid off.

“That was his best throw,” said Hendricken head coach Jim Doyle said. “He’s a hard working young man that I know had a lot of desire to win that one.”

Cerbo knew right away that his throw at states was one of his best ever, and as it was one of the first events of the day, he didn’t have to wait very long to receive his medal and the round of applause that comes with out-throwing everybody else in the state.

“I felt very confident and very sure of myself,” Cerbo said. “I felt I had prepared very well. I was extremely determined and very motivated to leave Brown with a win.”

His next stop is Assumption College, where he will throw in the collegiate ranks. As the No. 4 ranked thrower in all of New England, taking his talents up the ranks is an exciting transition for an athlete who finally reached the pinnacle of high school success.

“I’m very excited,” Cerbo said. “I can’t wait to go. I can’t wait to get started.”